Heart disease is otherwise known or called “cardiovascular disease”. Cardiovascular disease is a health condition that involve the blockage or narrowed blood vessels that can cause heart attack, chest pain(angina) or stroke. Other heart issues, such as those that affect your heart’s muscle’s valves or rhythm, also are considered types of heart disease.
Many types of heart problems can be stooped or curved with healthy lifestyle choices.
There are many different types of heart disease that affect different parts of the heart and occur in different ways.
(1) Congenital heart disease,
(2) Arrhythmia,
(3) Coronary artery disease,
(4) Dilated cardiomyopathy,
(5) Myocardial infaction,
(6) Heart failure,
(7) Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,
(8) Mitral regurgitation,
(9) Mitral valve proplapse,
(10) Pulmonary stenosis.
(1) Congenital heart disease is deformities of the heart present from birth and this can happen in the form of septal defects which is the present of a hole between the chambers of the heart. Obstruction defects, which is the partial or total blockage of blood flowing through various chambers of the heart and cyanotic heart disease, this is a defect in the heart where there is shortage of oxygen around the body.
(2) Arrhythmia is when irregular heartbeat occurs. There are a lot of ways this can happen, either by having low , fast, irregular or abnormal heartbeat, this problem happen as a result of inability of the electrical impulse in the heart to coordinate the heartbeat and work properly. Arrhythmia is common among most people and can happen to individuals with weak to damaged heart. It can be fatal.
(3) Coronary artery disease occurs when the oxygen and nutrients supply to the heart are cut off by plague deposits that contain cholesterol. Coronary artery supply the heart muscle with nutrients and oxygen, but these artery can be diseased or damaged by plague deposits.
(4) Dilated cardiomyopathy is the weakness of the heart muscle which causes dilated heart chambers and in this case not enough oxygen reaches the heart muscle dues to coronary artery disease and this effect the left ventricle.
(5) Myocardial infarction is also called heart attack, cardiac infarction and coronary thrombosis. An interrupted blood flow damages or destroys part of the heart. It is caused by blood clothing in the artery which can lead to narrowing or spasms coronary artery.
(6) Heart failure is termed or called congestive heart failure, this happens when the heart does not pump blood around the body efficiently. A side of the heart may be affected or both sides. Coronary artery disease or high blood pressure can cause the heart to be weak to pump or function properly.
(7) Hypertropic cardiomyopathy is inheritable(50%) from parent to offspring and it is a situation where the wall of the ventricle thicken, making it difficult for the blood to be pumped out of the heart. This is the leading cause of sudden death in athletes.
(8) Mitral regurgitation is a situation whereby the mitral valve in the heart does not close tightly enough, thus causing blood to flow back to the heart instead of leaving. As a Result blood cannot circulate efficiently. Individual with this type of problem often experience tiredness and out of breath.
(9) Mitral valve prolpase occurs when the valve between the left atrium and left ventricule does not fully close, it bulges upwards, or back into the atrium. It is not a serious issue unless marked by mitral regurgitarion, this is where it requires treatment.
(10) Pulmonary stenosis, in this case the heart is unable to pump blood from the right ventricule to the pulmonary artery because the pulmonary valve is too tight. The right ventricule need to work harder to overcome such obstruction. An infant with this can turn blue while older children will have no symptom.
Symptoms of heart disease are chest pain, breathlessness, heart palpitations and symptoms of heart attack are nausea and vomiting, profuse sweating, lightheadness and dizzy sensation pains.
Heart disease can be caused by damage to some part of the heart or all part, damage or poor supply of nutrient or oxygen to the organ or coronary artery. Some type of heart disease like hypertropic cardiomyopathy are genetic. These alongside congenital heart defects, can occur before a person is born.
There are some risk factor that increase the risk of heart disease. They include;
Smoking, Age, Diabetes, Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure(BP), Overweight and Obesity, Family History, Junk Food, Low Physical Activity and a history of preeclampsia during pregnancy. All these risk factors can increase chances of heart disease, for example women above 55years of age is likely to develop heart disease.
Hence, heart disease can be treated using two methods which are by surgery or by medication. There are a wide range of medication available for treating heart disease, many help to prevent blood clothing, but some serve other purpose. Medications like statins, asprin, beta- blockers and angiotesin-converting enzymes(ACE) help in treating heart disease.
Finally, heart disease can be prevented by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy body weight, avoiding smoking, reducing alcohol intake and controlling high blood pressure or diabetes.
